Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, when one would think of virtual classes, it usually entailed thoughts of adults being able to take online college courses while still being able to continue their normal day to day routine. Many public places one used to frequent without thinking anything about it, was drastically coming to a screeching halt!  

According to the United States Census Bureau, The COVID-19 pandemic was dramatically affecting the education field, and it wasn’t our typical college online classes that were being affected.  “Nearly 93% of people in households with school-age children reported their children engaged in some form of “distance learning” from home, but lower-income households were less likely to rely on online resources.” The COVID-19 pandemic in the spring dramatically shifted the way children were being educated. (U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey) 

So not only were schools having to hustle to find ways for students’ educational needs to be met, but so did Extension. 

Whitley County Nutrition Education Program Assistant, along with one of the area school districts, began discussing ways to continue not only the average classroom educational components, but the afterschool programs were being affected to, which is a very beneficial part of the students’ education locally.

Chromebooks were being ordered by the school districts, placed into the hands of students that couldn’t afford them.  Teachers were relying on the Google platform to continue students’ education from home.   School districts had sat up Hotspots throughout the different rural community areas where students resided and with Extension Employees being considered “Essential” workers, the NEP Program Assistant began searching for alternative ways students could continue their afterschool programming.  Through the partnerships created with the teachers over the years, the Afterschool Cooking Club was going to be able to continue.

The teachers sat up their “afterschool” Google classroom and invited the youth and NEP Assistant to enter, but through a very different door!  The Teen Cuisine Curriculum with many food demos conducted by the NEP Assistant through this platform was a success with the youth.  Once a week it became a reality for the Cooking Club to continue regular meetings with the teacher and NEP Assistant being available for the club to meet.  The club flourished until the end of the school year with 10 graduates completing all guidelines.  

Even though this wasn’t your traditional “in-person” instructional platform not only did the school personnel, teacher, and NEP Assistant felt like they achieved something they thought they couldn’t, but the STUDENTS felt it was a success and one of their most loved reinforcements was their aprons they all received!